No. 3 FSU Softball set to play No. 1 Oklahoma for national championship: preview, how to watch, game thread

On Sunday, Florida State Seminoles softball punched their ticket to Women’s College World Series national championship game.

After defeating No. 4 Tennessee, they will now rematch with an opponent from earlier this season, No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners.

In March, Florida State traveled to Norman after losing 2 of 3 to Oklahoma State. In the midweek matchup, Oklahoma took an early lead that was surrendered to the Seminoles before claiming it back and taking the 5-4 win.

In the game, both Jahni Kerr and Katie Dack had homeruns off of the Sooners' pitchers. Meanwhile, FSU had a whole staff approach to keep OU guessing. Kathryn Sandercock, Makenna Reid, Ali DuBois and Allison Royalty all made appearances. Out of the bullpen, Royalty was the most efficient, with 2.1 innings, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB in 9 batters faced.

Since their meeting with the Seminoles, Oklahoma has beaten every single one of their opponents, breaking the all-time wins in a row for a single season. They have played Northwestern, Auburn, Texas, LSU, Baylor, Oklahoma State, Missouri, Clemson, Stanford and Tennessee en route to the championship series.

The Sooners earned their 52nd win in a row on Wednesday in Game One of the Women’s College World Series final, breaking a stalemate in the fourth inning en route to a 5-0 win.

The Seminoles and Sooners will face off again on Thursday, June 8 at 7:30 p.m. in Game Two.

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Sooners Pitching

Before starting the WCWS, Nicole May was the leader in ERA, with .82. In her 102.1 innings, she had 56 H, 14 R, 28 BB, 127 and a .159 B/AVG.

OU is also known for its two other ace pitchers, Jordy Bahl and Alex Storako. Bahl is the team leader in innings pitched, with 122.2, and through her outings, held a 1.08 ERA, 69 H, 20 R, 24 BB, 159 SO, and a .164 B/AVG. Storako has the most elevated ERA with 1.13 in 99 innings, with 57 H, 19 R, 17 BB, and 106 SO.

Oklahoma Offense

As the most high-powered offense in the country, OU has 4 players batting over .400 (Tiare Jennings, Jayda Coleman, Kinzie Hansen, and Alyssa Brito). Jennings is the team leader in RBI and hits (60, 72), while Coleman leads in walks and runs (38, 66). Lastly, Brito leads the Sooners in homeruns and doubles, with 17 each.

As a team, OU has outscored opponents 450-54, with 112 homeruns to 21. They also have a 49-57 stolen base record, while other teams are 8-12 when on base.

Stats Comparison

Batting average: OU (.368), FSU (.306)

Scoring: OU (8.22), FSU (6.09)

ERA:OU (.98), FSU (1.59)

On base percentage: OU (.458), FSU (.402)

Where to Watch: FSU vs. Oklahoma in the Women’s College World Series

Game Two

FSU and Oklahoma will face off at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Recap

Game One: FSU falls 5-0

After an hour weather delay, Florida State softball finally took the field against the Oklahoma Sooners. As the away team, OU starter Jordy Bahl retired her three batters to set up her offense. As the FSU starter, Mack Leonard retired her three Sooner batters with two fly outs and a strike out.

Still a 0-0 game in the bottom of the 4th, Leonard hit Haley Lee to begin the inning. After the HBP and substitution to Jordy Bahl as the pinch runner, Leonard’s day was done as a pitcher. In relief, Makenna Reid entered with a runner on base. Facing her fast batter, Kinzie Hansen doubled to bring in her starting pitcher.

A passed ball got Hansen to third with no outs. With the runner on third, another run was added for OU with a single into the outfield. A bunt and fly out pushed Alyssa Brito to third, and a fielding error from Reid got the third run of the game in. An infield fly ended the inning with a 3-0 Sooner lead.

In the bottom of the 5th, Ali Dubois entered as she gave up a bunt single to the top of the OU lineup. A line drive and grounder both to Josue Muffley quickly put two outs up, but another RBI from Hansen brought it to 4-0. A second straight single from Brito put two on against DuBois. Another walk loaded the bases for the Sooners with two outs. A fly out left them loaded with FSU still down four runs.

Still in for the top of the 7th, Bahl added two strike outs to her night. Facing pinch hitter Katie Dack, she walked with two outs. FSU down to their last out, a comeback to Bahl ended the game as OU took game one 5-0.